Criminal (In)justice

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Bonus: In the Garage Jul 02, 2021

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A California man's DUI has been thrown out by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that police needed a warrant to enter his attached garage.

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#140 Police Reform: What Works? Jun 29, 2021

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Since the murder of George Floyd, cities and towns everywhere have proposed reforms that they hope can transform their police departments. Proposals range from more body cameras to eliminating police departments entirely. But what really works? Which of these will improve public safety, for everyone?

Our guests are Nancy LaVigne, Executive Director of the Task Force on Policing of the Council on Criminal Justice, and Walter Katz, Task Force member and Vice President of Criminal Justice at Arnold Ventures.

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#139 Flawed Forensics Jun 15, 2021

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Every day in American courtrooms, forensic science offers evidence to judges and juries: fingerprints, ballistics, shoe prints, even bite marks. It’s supposed to provide scientific proof of guilt. But what if it’s a lot less reliable than we think? Our guest is Brandon Garrett, Professor of Law at Duke University School of Law and author of “Autopsy of a Crime Lab: Exposing the Flaws in Forensics.”

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Bonus: Krasner's Mandate Jun 08, 2021

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Hoping to leverage public frustration with rising crime, Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner's critics framed his reelection as a referendum on the incumbent's progressive reforms. In the end it was -- but not in the way they had hoped.

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#138: To Fix Policing, Understand It Jun 01, 2021

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Since George Floyd’s death, countless advocates, government officials, task forces and commissions have made demands and proposals for police reform. But one reform advocate took a novel approach: she went inside the police organization, and joined up.

In her book “Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City” (Penguin Press, 2021) author Rosa Brooks tells the story of joining the police in Washington D.C. – what she learned, and what she came away with regarding police reform.

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Bonus: The Year of George Floyd May 25, 2021

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Today marks the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. How have his death and the resulting groundswell of activism shaped the landscape for criminal justice reform?

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Bonus: Police Body Cameras and Their Limits May 16, 2021

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Reformers had high hopes that equipping police with body cameras would make officers more accountable. How's that going?

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#137 Police Reform from a Rare Perspective May 11, 2021

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Since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May of 2020, many governments, commissions, and organizations have come out with plans to change police departments. What does this look like when the leaders of a reform effort are African American, from law enforcement, and female?

Our guest is Karol V. Mason, President of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and one of the co-leaders of the reform effort that produced a police reform plan called “The Future of Public Safety.”

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Bonus: Independent Investigations Aren't Enough May 06, 2021

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Independent investigations into police killings are supposed to circumvent the apparent conflict of interest that often prevents local prosecutors from bringing charges against local officers. But they don't seem to be any likelier to result in charges, because the law is stacked in favor of police regardless of who's investigating.

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#136 A Break in Belonging Apr 27, 2021

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When someone goes to prison, it can destroy the family left behind – and even more so when no one really knows what happened. But then, what does the family do years later, when that family member returns?

Our guest, filmmaker Shirley Vernae Williams, tells us the story of Pastor Martin Thomas: the murder he committed, and his quest to make his life worthwhile, after he returns from prison.

Trailer: A Break In Belonging

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